Wow, this thread took a cool series of directions. I will definitely watch my neck much more carefully the next time I wander into a new jungle, and definitely will set aside plans I made to have my head tattooed, heh...

Following up to some of what Bigbro' said, and a few things I mentioned earlier in this thread, I understand that tiki did not really "start" as much as it developed from multiple influences. Bigbro's chart helps illustrate that, although I don't have it in front of me here at work right now. But the simple appearance of a carved figure would not necessarily indicate the start of tiki as much as it could indicate the underpinnings of things which came to be enjoyed and emulated later and which gained momentum and grew and continued to evolve. So I'm not sure a real "start" of tiki can be found, but it sure is a helluva lot of fun to look and see the things which led up to it all.

Thank the tiki gods that cocktails got thrown into all this otherwise we could all have become a bunch of musty old anthropology nerds hanging out on Anthro Central!

maybe we can just leave it at this...trader vic popularized the tiki idols in his establishments which spawn imitators in the ways of bars, restaurants, hotels, motels and apartments.
_________________looking to procure, run little doggie, lure a disco dolly

I don't think we can leave it at just that. To do so would be an oversimplification and would not address what Vic Bergeron and Donn Beach did so very well -- they created environments where people had a good time, ate decent food, and drank rockin' good cocktails. And their experiences were repeatable - they could bring their friends and share the love of what they enjoyed so much. Yes, the tikis were present to varying degrees, but the whole tiki thing took off as a result of a larger conglomeration of things which were successfully presented and marketed by a couple of sharp entrepreneurs. They captured the hearts and minds of consumers of the time(s).
_________________I need to spend more time in my bar and less time posting on Tiki Central...

i will uncover the mystery one of these days. i still maintain that there was a time when you didnt see tiki statues anywhere and then you did. someone had to be first, somewhere.
_________________looking to procure, run little doggie, lure a disco dolly

Awesome, nomeus, and let us know what you find. Don't let me or anyone else discourage you from looking. You could be the one who uncovers something which has not yet seen the light of day and which has otherwise escaped attention. You have certainly raised my awareness of something I have not given much thought to in the past, and sometimes we do take things for granted. Shake them trees and beat those bushes, sir!

sven has already put in vast amounts of time, as demonstrated right above. ill never be able to discover something new that he hasnt. perhaps its best left unknown as it's fitting with all that is tiki anyway.
_________________looking to procure, run little doggie, lure a disco dolly

On 2014-01-13 10:41, nomeus wrote:i will uncover the mystery one of these days. i still maintain that there was a time when you didn't see tiki statues anywhere and then you did. someone had to be first, somewhere.

In the early days museums and National Geographic would have been a lot of people's first exposure to Polynesian art.

From the John Rabe Collection at the Oakland Museum of California
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-Lori

On 2014-01-13 09:31, bigbrotiki wrote:Show me one piece of text that says Don The Beachcomber IS or WAS Tiki, in my or Jeff Berry's work, please.

Since I made up that chart, things have become even more focused: Tiki did not start until around 1955, and the end came around 1965. It's creative peak was between 1960 and 1964. Everything after was repetitious, and the work of Tiki veterans who were doing their thing.

Sorry for the rant, I don't have time to explain it further, if others please would chime in I would be most grateful.

I'll chime in, but with a question more than an agreement: If DTB's existed today the way it did when it first opened, how many people would hesitate to call it a tiki bar? It may not have been a "tiki bar" in its day because the association with tiki and Poly-pop simply wasn't there. But wouldn't you agree that most of the features that define what we call a tiki bar today would have been present at both DTB and TV? I understand Donn even had his prized cannibal trio on display, so there was a tiki element, if not by name.
_________________"You can't eat real Polynesian food. It's the most horrible junk I've ever tasted." —Trader Vic Bergeron

it would absolutely be a tiki bar today, without a doubt. like i said, there are tiki elements in those old photos from the 30s/40s. i see spears and shields that dont appear to be african.
_________________looking to procure, run little doggie, lure a disco dolly